Fatal
by TheJesusFreak777
Summary: Twolegplace has never been safe. And for cats like Jet, Pepper, Merry, Chirp, and Jingo, it's often full of lethal mishaps. When a mysterious stranger called Sol arrives in Twolegplace, he fills the cats with something they never thought they'd have again-hope. But at what cost? (Previously The Hopeful and the Conspirator)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In all honesty, I have no idea how long this will last. But ever since Sunrise, when they met these cats, I was very interested in them.**

* * *

**Allegiances**

**Cats of Twolegplace, the Forest and Sun-Drown Place**

**Twolegplace**

Sol-white and brown tabby long-haired tom with pale yellow eyes, loner

Purdy-very old pale tabby tom, loner

Jingo-dark brown tabby she-cat, kittypet

Hussar-broad shouldered gray tom, kittypet

Baxter-large tabby tom, loner

Speckle-flecked brown she-cat, kittypet, Baxter's mate

Fritz-small black and white tom with green eyes, kittypet

Jester-ginger and white tom, rogue

Frosty-long-haired white she-cat with blue eyes, rogue, Jester's sister

Pod-scrawny brown tom with a gray muzzle, loner

Pepper-dark brown, black, and gray tom with amber eyes, rogue

Jet-long-legged sleek black tom with green eyes, rogue, Pepper's brother

Flower-pretty small pale tabby she-cat, kittypet

Merry-ginger and white she-cat, loner

Chirp-pale gray tabby tom with blue eyes, loner

Bear-large blue-gray tabby tom with blue eyes, kittypet

Bessie-long-haired white she-cat with brown patches, kittypet

Tiny-dark brown tabby and white tom, kittypet

Thorn-spiky-furred dark tabby tom, rogue

Thistle-spiky-furred gray and black she-cat, rogue, Thorn's sister

**The Forest and Sun-Drown Place**

Acorn-long-legged brown tabby tom with amber eyes and dark brown stripes, rogue

Marigold-long-furred ginger and gold tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother of Acorn's kits Oak and Feather

Oak-dark brown tom

Feather-light gray tabby she-cat with darker flecks

Raven-old black tom with gray paws, rogue

Moochie-mottled dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Bog-dark tabby tom

Eagle-large muscular golden-brown tabby tom, rogue

Stone-dark gray tom with blue eyes, Eagle's brother, rogue

Puddle-silver-gray she-cat, blind in one eye, Eagle's sister, rogue

Soot-small black tom, rogue

Pine-very short-haired light brown tabby she-cat, rogue

Remmy-dark ginger tom

Chive-black she-cat with a white patch on her chest and green eyes, Remmy's mate

Cocoa-mottled brown tabby she-cat, mother of Remmy's kits Felix, Russet, Blaze, Turner, and Nyx

Felix-black and white tom

Russet-black she-cat with green eyes and a ginger paw

Blaze-small black and gray tabby she-cat

Turner-dark brown tabby tom

Nyx-long-haired black she-cat

**ThunderClan Journeyers**

Brambleclaw-dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Brackenfur-golden brown tabby tom

Birchfall-light brown tabby tom

Hazeltail-small gray and white she-cat

Lionblaze-golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Hollyleaf-black she-cat with green eyes, Lionblaze's sister

* * *

**Prologue**

The tomcat paused at the edge of the forest. He saw the lights of Twolegplace ahead and curled his tail over his paws. It wouldn't be long before his journey would be complete.

A full moon floated in an inky sky. It reminded him of the cats in the gorge. He was finished with them. There was no way Leafstar and Sharpclaw would come after him now-especially after he had taken one of her precious lives. But now he was moons away from them, and safe as could be. He was ready for the rest of his journey.

But first the tom decided to find a place to rest. It would be hard to wander around Twolegplace all night on an empty stomach. The snow flurried around him. He wandered through the forest aimlessly until a mouse threw itself at his paws. He pounced and carried it. He began walking until he heard a growl behind him. A light brown she-cat stood behind him.

"This isn't your territory," she hissed. Her amber eyes flashed accusingly at the mouse. The tomcat could count her ribs.

He set the mouse down in front of her. "Please, give me a place to sleep tonight, and you can have the mouse."

Her eyes sparked with curiousity, but she didn't touch the prey. "You're not from here," she began. "Who are you?"

He lifted his head and met her eyes. "My name is Sol, and I have traveled a great distance to be here."

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**A/N: Please review! I know this is short, but I'd love to have some feedback on this!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd greatly appreciate reviews! Some of the dialogue is taken directly from Sunrise.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**Jet **

Jet knew the moment he saw the forest cats, things were not well.

There were six of them, all well-muscled and better fed than most cats in Twolegplace. They were sitting in the middle of the den, talking to Jingo, and when he hears them mention Pepper, the entire weight of the world crashes back down on him. He'd rather fight off a badger than those dogs. If it were up to him, he'd have killed Sol after they fought the dogs.

That hadn't happened.

Jingo was meowing to who looked like the leader of the cats, a large dark tabby tom. "Sol was with us, and when-"

Jet dug his claws into the ground and steps out of the shadows of the hall. "Why are you talking about that piece of fox dung?" he snarls, raising his fur. He didn't want anything to do with Sol. Any cat who was talking about Sol was worthless to him. One of the forest cats, a golden tabby tom, tenses like he might attack, but at that moment Jet could have defeated a forest full of cats he was so furious.

"It's okay, Jet," Jingo says, her amber eyes full of sadness. Jet couldn't believe his ears as she continued. "These cats asked about-"

"It's not okay," he hisses. He digs his claws into the floor of the Twoleg den. He had the forest cats' attention now. A gray and white she-cat's eyes were wide with fear and confusion. A black she-cat shares a look with the golden tabby tom. An older tom narrows his eyes. Hussar, who was lounging on the ledge near the window, refuses to meet Jet's eyes. Fritz's fur spiked in fear. He found his voice. "It'll never be okay," Jet growls. "I don't want to _think_ about that cat ever again!" _I'd like to rip his pelt off. _The forest cats continue to stare at him, but he sees pity in Jingo's eyes. And pity is the one thing that makes him stalk back down the hall of the den and into a different part of the nest.

He hears one of the forest cats mew, "I'm sorry if we've upset him…" But Jet blocks it out and curls up on the floor, willing that when he wakes up, he'll no longer be here, no longer be in this place without every cat who he'd ever loved. Jet wants to wake up where he is welcome, where he is not a stranger, where he is happy.

_Blood rushing in his ears, his heart beating loud enough for every dog in Twolegplace to hear._ _Merry was dragging a red-stained body, so torn and maimed it was impossible to recognize by sight. The smell of death hung in the air as Jet crouched beside Fritz, trying to rid his mind of the awful things that had just happened._

_"We have to do something about those dogs," Jingo begins; her voice hollow as she watches Merry drops the dead cat. Now, where Jet could see its face, he realized with a shock it was a cat that he'd never seen before, but young enough to be a kit. Its fur must have originally been light, but now it was dark and plastered to its skin, red and dark and smelling of dogs and death._

_"I agree," Pepper mews, surprising me. His eyes gleamed. "There are plenty of cats in Twolegplace, and even more outside of Twolegplace. We could…invest in their help." _

_"Too dangerous," Hussar points out. "The cats towards sun-drown-place aren't always nice. And the dogs might follow us."_

_"The dogs might follow us if we walk around here," Merry argues. "It's stupid to pretend they won't." Jet thought she had a point, but before he could speak Speckle did instead._

_"Where's Sol? He might know what to do," Speckle suggests. _

_"Sol comes and goes," Thorn points out. "It could be days before he's here again, and we need food."_

_"Why'd we ever let him come, anyway?" Merry drawls. "He isn't doing much."_

_"Quiet!" hisses Speckle. "He's got us here, hasn't he? And where would we be if we didn't have here?"_

_"I'd still be in the forest," Merry retorts, her neck fur bristling, "perfectly unaware of the dogs!"_

_"Quiet!" Jingo snaps. Jet blinks at the anger in her voice. Merry recoils, and Speckle's fur ruffles. He'd rarely heard her so furious. She rushes on. "Merry, if you've got nothing better to do, take the kit to where the monsters sleep. I think I've seen the kit there before, and its mother must want to know what happened. Take Thistle, Thorn, Pepper, and Jet with you. Go hunting on the way back. Pod, do you know where Purdy is?"_

_Pod blinks. "Hard to tell. I can look for him."_

_"Good. He always talks about how those forest cats helped him when he was injured. He might know how to heal some of these wounds." Jingo sounded doubtful, but Jet knew that it was the best chance of making sure none of our wounds grew infected. "Merry, go take your patrol hunting." _

_Merry glared at her and said nothing, just picked up the few remains of the kit and angled her ears at us to follow her. Jet held his breath before pushing out of the flap into Twolegplace, praying to whoever was listening that no dogs would come._

* * *

**Thorn**

He was tired, he was hungry, he was drenched to his skin.

Outside the rain lashed at the bush he was sheltering in and the wind roared. He flattened his ears and dropped the mouse at his paws. It would be futile to venture out in the storm now. He would be likely struck dead by a monster, or a dog would come across him, or he would get more lost than he is now.

_Thistle will worry about me, _he thinks nervously. _If she's awake._ His sister had a terrible cough and had slept the majority of the day up until the storm. He wondered if she was feeling any better, or if she had ventured out before the storm. Or-forbid-the dogs had finally snuffed out their den. Thorn shuddered at the thought. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if the dogs found their den, with Thistle as weak as she was and unable to run off.

The wind howled. There was no way he would be able to get home tonight.

Not for the first time he wished he had never left the cats in the Twoleg nest. It was safer, drier, and much more welcoming there. But he would never go back-never. He didn't trust their leader, Sol. He was sly and cunning, and if he went back there with Thistle, he knew it would end badly. Sol would reprimand them for leaving, punish them in some way, before recruiting them again for his plans to defeat the dogs.

Thorn might be young, but he wasn't blind. He knew how to recognize a cat who wanted power, and Sol did not make him feel welcome. There was something wrong with him, something very wrong with the way the cat made his dealings. Maybe his intentions weren't obvious, but there was no way the newcomer had arrived to help us with the cats. Things don't work like that.

Briefly Thorn wondered how exposed he was, hiding in this bush from the dogs, but he quickly decided that the dogs would be hiding somewhere from the rain. The wind seemed to be dying and the rain easing off. If he wanted to go, now would be the time. He stretched, hating how his pelt clung to him, and stepped out onto the hard surface of the Thunderpath beside him. He held his breath and ran.

He might not trust Sol, but he hoped his plan worked. He would give his life to rid the dogs from Twolegplace, if it would benefit the other cats. But somehow, Thorn knew Sol would only bring more bloodshed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I want to give a big thanks to jaide10, Storm-Eyes-Osprey, TrappedintheTimeVortex, Moonbeam141, and Salamandercat for reviewing! You guys are the best :) I'd like to get at least five reviews before updating the next chapter, but if that doesn't happen… I'm still probably going to update. Lol. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**Stone**

Stone's mother had asked two things of him and his littermates before her death. The first had been to stay together, always. The second had been to stay away from Twolegplace.

It had only been two days since her death, and here he was, already thinking on disregarding her final request.

He was perched on the fence of the farm, staring ahead over the field at the Twolegplace beyond. Whatever cat had wounded his mother was in there still, and he wanted to find them. Never before had he felt such an insatiable rage in the pit of his belly, like a thirst that could not be quenched. He had always thought of himself as above revenge, above murder, above even hate.

But here he was, feeling an unsatisfied, murderous fury towards whoever had caused the death of Abbey.

_It's just not right, _Stone thinks. It had been a cat in Twolegplace, he knew that much. When his mother had limped home, bleeding heavily from her stomach and shoulder, his sister, Puddle, had asked what had happened. She had said it was a cat from Twolegplace.

Stone shut his eyes and dug his claws into the wooden fencepost. Where was the justice in letting her killer go?

Twolegplace was a dangerous place. He knew that. Twolegs weren't exactly kind to rogues like him, and there were dogs, kittypets, and other rogues. Stone knew, that if faced by a kittypet, he would likely win. But a rogue? And where rogues often banded together? He didn't have a lot fighting experience. Most of the cats near Sun-drown-place got along.

He shouldn't be thinking these thoughts, he knew. Abbey wanted them to stay together for a reason, and to stay out of Twolegplace.

_It shouldn't be this hard. To survive. Survival should be unspoken and accepted by all. So…why is it being brushed aside like it's nothing? _

It was stupid. Cats often aren't as nice as they were. Eagle would want to come with him to Twolegplace. Perhaps his brother had already gone to confront the killer.

It took all of Stone's willpower to turn away from the place his mother had met her downfall. He jumped off of the fence and began to walk away, forcing himself not to look back.

It just didn't seem real to him. His mother couldn't be dead.

He'd long been independent. He was around three seasons old, still young, but old enough to survive on his own. He missed her. He didn't want his mother to be gone. It… None of it could be real. Not really.

* * *

**Jet**

He wanted the mouse-brained forest cats to leave.

They need to leave. They have to. If they don't… If they don't, he feels like he might get bad again. He might do something he'll regret, and then he won't know who he is, what he's doing.

If they were looking for Sol, they were welcome to him. And they were welcome to leave _now. _He couldn't understand why Jingo was allowing them to be here, in their den, in the only place that had ever been safe to them. And Jet's solace was being invaded by cats that had no right to feel his pain and see his scars.

_He pressed his pelt against Thistle, trying to get her to wake up. She was drenched from the rain and cold and shivering, but she was asleep. _

_"Wake up," he mews softly. "Please." _

_Thorn paced the floor of the den, his fur fluffed up. At every noise he flinched. Jingo pushed through the flap, a mouse in her mouth. She dropped it when she scrambled in. Jet saw lightning flash outside before the flap shut again. _

_"What happened?" Fritz mewed timidly to Jingo._

_"The dogs happened," Jingo spat, shaking out her pelt. "The ones who attacked Thistle and Thorn are still out waiting."_

_"But Hussar, Baxter, Merry, Pepper, Flower, and Chirp are still outside!" exclaims Speckle, sitting up, clearly worried for her mate. Jet found it hard to suppress his own fear for his brother._

_"They'll be okay," Sol says calmly. "Now, we should eat." He strolled forward and picked up Jingo's mouse before jumping onto one of the chairs. Jingo watched him for a moment, a guarded expression in her eyes before turning over some of the other prey already caught. _

_"How's Thistle?" Thorn asked brusquely._

_"She's still shaky," Jet reported. _

_"She must be in shock," Fritz fretted. "What do we do if a cat's in shock?"_

_"Let her sleep," Sol called in a bored voice. "If she's not okay in the morning, we'll start thinking of something. There are more important things to worry about than the safety of one cat."_

_Jet dug his claws into the ground, biting his tongue not to say something he would surely later regret. Thorn's neck fur rose and he glared at the loner. "This is my _sister!_ She could be injured, she could be ill!"_

_"We need to worry about other things now," Sol meowed coolly._

_"Sol's right," Speckle mewed unexpectedly. "My mate's out there and I'm a half moon away from kitting, but I'm not fretting like an elder."_

_Thorn let out a warning hiss, but Jingo mewed curtly, "That's enough, Speckle. Jet, tell us if Thistle gets any better." _

_He gave a small nod, trying to stifle his own anger and worry. He hoped that the others returned soon, and safe. Thistle curled up beside him, her chest still rapidly rising and falling. Thorn picked a blackbird off the pile of fresh-kill and carried it over to Jet and his sister. _

_"How is she?" Thorn murmured, quietly so that none of the other cats could hear._

_"I'm not sure," Jet admitted. _

_Thorn gazed at his sister for a long moment before gasping, dropping the blackbird. "She's bleeding!" he exclaimed. Jet turned to look at the young she-cat, and sure enough, there were bite marks on her paws, marks that Jet had not noticed earlier._

It hurt Jet to realize how much he had not noticed.

* * *

**I'm sorry if this is hard to follow so far, I don't mean for it to be. Or maybe I do…? Everything will connect in the end. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**Thistle**

He crouched down low against the ground as he ran; tail streaming behind him, across the deserted Thunderpath. He stopped to taste the air for a moment. No dogs, that was good. But there was the smell of cat… His fur rose as he pinpointed the source, and he leapt up onto the fencepost, looking down into the garden below.

A long-haired white she-cat stood, back arched and claws extended, hissing up at him. "Get out of here!" she growled. "You're not welcome!" She clawed up the fence, and Thorn lashed his tail, ready to leap into battle. He could handle the kittypet.

She bared her teeth in a snarl and dove, but Thorn was quicker and stepped back, dodging what could have very well been a killing blow. He felt her jaws snap around his ear, and he let out a yowl of rage and pain. "I'm just passing through!" he exclaimed, swiping at the she-cat.

"Wait," she meowed suddenly, stepping back, horror in her eyes. "Are you… Is that you, Thorn?"

"What?" Thorn demanded. In the gloom of night he made out the brown patches on her pelt. "Bessie?"

"Thorn!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry-I didn't mean to-I thought you were a rogue!"

He twitched his ear. "I am a rogue."

"You? Thorn? A _rogue?" _Thorn hated that Bessie sounded amused. "What about your housefolk? They probably miss you."

"Thistle and I don't have housefolk anymore," he mewed curtly. "I should probably be heading back to find her now, anyway."

"How is Thistle, by the way?" Bessie meowed conversationally, clearly failing to notice the hint or at least ignoring it.

"She's good."

"You shouldn't be out in weather like this, after the rain," Bessie pointed out seriously. "You could be injured or hit by a monster or the dogs or get sick. Why don't you come in?"

Thorn gritted his teeth. "Bessie, I don't have time for this. Thistle's probably worried sick about me. I shouldn't have left anyway, she's sick and I thought I should hunt when the storm hit."

"Thistle's sick? You know, Thorn, if you want you can come and live with my housefolk. We've got plenty of room, and if they take Thistle to the Cutter, she'll get better!" Bessie gazed at him earnestly, and Thorn tried not to shudder at the thought of Twolegs peering down at his sister.

"I'd better go, Bessie. I'll see you around…and next time, please don't try to claw my pelt off."

"Sure thing, Thorn," she called, waving her tail at him as he bounded along the fence.

_Why would any cat want to be a kittypet? _Thorn had hated being a kittypet. He'd only been a kit when he'd left his housefolk, but still, it was unnatural for cats to be cooped up in cages and only get to see the light when they went out to make dirt. Shaking his head, he came to the edge of the fences and paused. _Thistle and I were staying near there, _he thought, _because the Twolegs there would throw out food they didn't like to us. And they had a fish pond. _His paws tingled as he realized he had no prey to bring back to his ill sister, and hot shame swept over him at the thought of her ribs sticking out of her pelt, eyes glazed over with hunger.

_I'll go catch something. There's sure to be a few mice in the old Twoleg nest._

He padded cautiously down the alley, tasting the air, wary of dogs. When he made it to the abandoned Twoleg nest, he found his way in through a dilapidated window. He perched on the shelf for a moment before jumping down. It was next to impossible to see anything, but he scented mouse ahead of him. Prowling forward silently, he stopped until he could see moonlight washing over the small creature. He paused for a moment before lunging forward and pouncing on the thing. Warm satisfaction filled him. _Thistle will be pleased. _He hunted around for another, and not long after his first kill he dispatched another mouse. Picking the two up, he stalked out of the den and back into the alley.

_Thistle was this way, _he thought to himself. He stuck close to the fence, wary of dogs. He couldn't smell anything but mouse, and he wanted to set them down and taste the air, but then he realized how easily the prey could be stolen. He made it to the wooden box near the Twoleg rubbish where he and Thistle had made their nests. "Thistle," he called softly, stepping into the den. "I've got prey."

She emerged from the shadows. Thistle felt a pang to see his sister's bony frame. He dropped one of the mice and nudged it her way. Then they began to eat, and for the first time Thorn felt that things would be all right. _We've got food. Maybe we should move dens. The dogs might pick up that we're here, and maybe the rubbish is making Thistle sick. _He finished his meal and curled up, deciding that tomorrow he would move their den.


End file.
